


Timeless Bonds

by fragileKnight1



Series: Ghosts of Arcadia [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Friends, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:00:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27139742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fragileKnight1/pseuds/fragileKnight1
Summary: When Max left Arcadia Bay she was able to keep in touch with her best friend Chloe through social media, but now she gotten her scholarship to the prestigious Blackwell College of the Arts and will be finally going home. Once she meets Chloe in person again their feelings for one another explode in unexpected ways, but their blossoming relationship might be derailed by the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of Rachel Amber.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price, Victoria Chase/Kate Marsh
Series: Ghosts of Arcadia [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002027
Comments: 55
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

Max felt her heart pounding as she read over the letter once more. Her photos got her selected by Mark Jefferson and she was going to be going to Blackwell on a full scholarship. Not only was she going to be going to one of the best art colleges on the west coast but she had be selected by a legend in the field of photography. This was her first step to becoming a real photographer and she could only think of one person to share it with. She logged onto her Tumblr to send a message to Chloe, or Science Pirate as she was known on her blog. Chloe hadn't changed her blog name in almost ten years either out of laziness or an odd emotional attachment to it.

Max though changed her profile name every year with the most recent being Maximum Focus.

<Chloe guess what happened.>

<You got high and made out with a mirror?>

<What?>

<You said guess what happened and that is my guess.>

<I just got my scholarship to the Blackwell College of the Arts.>

<OH SHIT! My girl is coming home to Arcadia Bay. I got a list of things I want to do...to you.>

Max laughed and sent an eye roll emoji to Chloe. For some reason Chloe had been making more and more of those kinds of jokes lately.

<No emojis.>

<Make me.>

<I'll block you.>

Max laughed and sent three smiley face emojis before sending, <So what have you been up to?>

<Same old. Same old.>

<So smoking pot and listening to music that only sounds good if you are high?>

<HA.HA. No, I am still working on my GED, and I don't smoke weed anymore. Haven't waked and baked in seven days. I also haven't had a cigarette in three, but those patches are mother fucking expensive.>

<Seriously? I am so proud of you Chloe. So why did you quit?>

<I got a job at American Rust...the scrapyard that I got my truck from...so now the cycle is complete. I'm trash, my life is trash, my truck is trash, and now my job is trash.>

<That is cool, but it doesn't explain why you quit.>

<Well I want you to enjoy our first kiss.>

Max sent another eye roll emoji and then sent, <Chloe.>

<You asked.>

<You are silly.>

<The silliest.> Chloe sent a GIF of a dancing dog in a clown outfit. <I can't wait until we get to do this in person again. It is going to be epic.>

<My parents will be taking me to Arcadia on the first of August.>

<I got a better idea. I will come up and take you myself.>

<I'd love that but is your truck capable of the drive.>

<The Bonnie Anne has plenty of life in her yet, and I am the best self-trained mechanic in

Oregon.>

<See you soonish as in three weeks from now.>

Chloe sent a picture of herself winking and giving Max a thumbs up before sending, <See you then.>

Max sent a stream of emojis just to annoy Chloe and logged out before Chloe could reply. She had a few new photographs to work on that were nothing interesting but were what she needed to finish off her current album.

With the money she had saved up from being a barista at the Beatnik Bean she was going to be able to go all out and get herself an all new journal, all new photo album, and an all new wardrobe from her favorite thrift shop. She was also going to need to get Chloe something as a thank you.

\------

Two weeks later Max was home alone trying, and failing to stay focused on the move to Blackwell when started banging on the front door. It took her a moment to get out of the mess she made of her room but when she opened the front door she was greeted by a grinning Chloe wearing a faded and torn Vamp Vixen shirt and grease stained cargo pants. She also had a nasty looking bruise covering her left cheek and an even nastier looking black eye.

Max pulled Chloe into the apartment and said, "What happened? Was it the step-douche?"

Chloe kept smiling and said, "He started yelling at me for wanting to come help you and when he called you a drugged out loser I..." She started laughing, "I hit the mother fucker. I hit him with all my might and yeah he hit me back even harder but I am free Max. I threw what I could out my window into my truck and I got out of there."

"We should call the cops."

"Wouldn't help because undoubtedly my mom will defend the step-douche." Chloe fell back onto the couch, "Plus I got a record so the cops would probably take their word over mine so there is no point."

"So you really hit him?"

Chloe held up her right hand to show off her bust knuckles, "I may have even knocked out a tooth."

Max bit her lip and said, "I am going to get you some ice for your face and a bandage for your hand."

"Sorry for showing up so early, but..." Chloe sat up and checked her phone when it buzzed but didn't answer it, "This was the only place I could think of."

"Don't you dare say that you are sorry." Max filled a baggy with ice and found some gauze in the junk drawer, "Now show me your hand so I can play doctor."

"I have often imagined us playing doctor."

"Chloe..." Max rolled her eyes and tossed the baggy of ice at her, "Now is not the time for joking."

"Who says I was joking?" Chloe winced as she pressed the baggy of ice to her face, "You are the girl of my dreams, Caulfield."

Max blushed and tried to stay focused on Chloe's hand, which was rougher than she remembered, "So do you like working at the junkyard?"

"Scrapyard, and yes I love it." Chloe laughed, "The other day I helped rebuild a classic Pontiac, and I also found a new radiator for the Bonnie Anne which the boss let me keep for free."

"Sounds like you might have found your calling."

"I am Chloe, Queen of Rust and Ruin."

Max finished cleaning and wrapping Chloe's hand and said, "We could head down a little early so I can help you find a place. It would also give me a chance to see how much Arcadia Bay has changed since I left."

"Arcadia Bay hasn't changed that much since your departure." Chloe pulled Max onto her lap, "Besides I know what you really want to do in Arcadia."

"Chloe..."

"Max! Is that really where your mind goes when you are with me?" Chloe laughed, "I was talking about you taking pictures."

Max felt her cheeks heat up and she jumped up when her parents came through the front door, "We weren't doing anything."

"Wow, Max, now they will think we were fooling around." Chloe waved at Vanessa and Ryan, "It’s nice to see you again."

"What happened to your face?" Vanessa walked over to Chloe, "You are going to need more than ice."

Ryan sat the takeout on the dining table and said, "Was it that asshole your mom married?"

Vanessa turned to her husband and said, "Ryan, language."

"It is the truth." Ryan crossed his arms, "I liked William and it pisses me off that Joyce decided to hook up with some random stranger two months after he died. She should be ashamed of herself."

"You shouldn't talk about Chloe's mom that way while Chloe is in the room."

"He is right." Chloe stood, "Do you all mind if I use your shower?"

"Go ahead." Vanessa smiled, "We will wait for you to finish before we eat."

"You don't have to wait." Chloe smiled, "I'll just eat whatever is left over."

"Not in this house." Ryan pulled the silver food containers from the bag, "You will eat with us."

Max watched Chloe leave and said to her parents, "Thanks for doing this."

"We are not about to send your best friend out into the cold." Ryan helped Vanessa get the plates down from the cabinet, "She makes you happy and that makes us happy."

Vanessa nodded and said, "So how long have you two been dating online?"

Max choked on the air and stammered as she said, "No...Chloe is just a friend...my best friend."

"Well I won't argue, but I want you to know that we would still love you if you do come out." Vanessa put out the forks, "I have read several articles about how to help you deal with any confusion or fears you may have."

"Mom." Max was so glad that Chloe was no longer in the room to hear this, "I...I am going to go get my camera."

Max ran from the living room and down the hall to her bedroom. She fell back onto her bed and looked up at the photos hanging from ceiling. They were all copies of her favorites and most of them were of her and Chloe from before William's death. Chloe had changed so much since then but at her core she was still the same.

After a couple minutes she picked up her camera and took a selfie, "Come on, Max. She is your best friend so don't make this weird."

\------

Max woke up that night to find Chloe was using her computer, and yawned before saying, “Chloe?”

“Shit.” Chloe quickly shut down the browser, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“What were you doing?”

“Watching porn.” Chloe laughed, “The sexy lesbian version of Blade Runner to precise.”

Max sat up in bed and said, “My parents have firewalls up to keep me from those sites so try again.”

Chloe sighed and smiled weakly, “Fine, I was looking at a friend of mine’s Facebook page. Her name is Rachel Amber, and she saved my life back in high school.”

Max bit her lip as a new feeling ate at her heart. She felt jealous for a moment that Chloe had someone else in her life, and then she felt guilty for feeling jealous, because of course Chloe had someone else. She needed someone who could be there for her that was real and not just a line of text on a computer screen. “Is she…”

“She is missing. Her parents, and the police will say that she ran away, but I know she didn’t.” Chloe pulled her legs up into the chair, “She lived for the spotlight, and loved the attention she got on her Facebook and Twitter pages, but her last post was back in May, and she hasn’t even tried to make contact with me once.”

“No one believes you?”

Chloe shook her head and wiped away her tears, “It’s awful, but it’s true.”

“I believe you.” Max got out of bed and reopened the page that Chloe had closed, “She went to Blackwell.”

“Yeah, she was taking some theater courses and a photography class.” Chloe’s voice caught in her throat, “She wanted to be a model.”

“Well I can check around for you.” Max smiled, “I will try to find out who some of her friends on campus are.”

Chloe started to smile for real and clicked on a picture of Rachel dancing on top of a giant speaker, “This was the last picture that was posted. It was taken two days before she was reported missing.”

Max nodded, “So when we get to Arcadia Bay we have to get me settled at the dorm, find you a place to stay, and then find your friend.”

“I already have a place in mind, Max.” Chloe smiled, “The Bayview Motel. It is dirt cheap and close to the beach.”

“The dirt cheap part of that worries me but I guess it will work for now.” Max shut down the computer, and went back to the bed, “So were you and Rachel…girlfriends?”

“Did we have sex you mean?” Chloe nodded, “Yeah we were very close back in high school, and she made life a little more enjoyable. She did her best to help but I was too angry and that broke our relationship. I still loved her but she couldn't love me and I don't blame her for that."

“You were always angry?” Max frowned, “You didn’t seem like that on Tumblr.”

“I didn’t want to scare you away.” Chloe moved over to the bed so that she could cuddle up with Max, “I know I should have said something, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t deal with it and I decided to only tell you half-truths. I am sorry.”

Max pulled Chloe closer and said, “I did the same thing, because I was depressed and guilt was just tearing me apart inside after William died. I felt like I was responsible for it and that I was abandoning you which made me do things I really shouldn’t have.”

“Max…”

“Sorry, I guess I just ruined…”

Max froze when Chloe kissed her and went incredibly stiff with panic causing Chloe to pull away as she said, “Was that too much? I…”

Max broke free of her fear and pulled Chloe close for another kiss like her life depended on it, like it could have been the last kiss they would ever have. She let go as the feelings finally subsided and pressed her hand to her chest to try and keep her heart from racing, “Sorry if that wasn’t good. I never…”

“You were amazing, Max.” Chloe smiled and tried to hide her blush, “We will have to do that again, but for the moment I should go back to the couch.”

“I want you to stay.” Max held onto Chloe, “My bed is big enough for the both of us, and it is softer than the couch.”

“Your parents will freak.”

“So what?”

“Well I can’t argue with that.” Chloe pulled Max into a tight hug as they fell back onto the bed, “I never knew you were such a rebel.”

“You made me that way.”

“Then I am glad I am a good bad influence on you.”


	2. Chapter 2

For the next few days things went back to normal for Max and Chloe. They hung out like nothing had changed and for the most part acted like the kisses never happened. It only got awkward after they decided to head to Arcadia a couple days early. Neither of them knew what to say now that they were alone and the radio broke an hour into the drive making the silence even more unbearable.

Max was still afraid that she had gone too far so to avoid Chloe’s gaze she spent most of the drive working on her camera. This went on for a couple hours until the truck’s engine let out a loud bang and started to spew out a thick black cloud of smoke.

“No, no, no, no.” Chloe pulled over at a small overlook, “Don’t worry I can fix this.”

“I know you can.” Max climbed out of the cab and took a quick pic of a blue jay perched on a road sign before reading the sign aloud, “Arcadia Bay ten miles, Hamilton forty miles. Can we walk ten miles?”

“Hey you just said you had faith in my mechanical expertise.” Chloe laughed and popped the hood, “The problem has to be the carburetor or…Max, can you get me my tool box?”

Max took a picture of Chloe leaning over the engine and went to the back of the truck to get the tool box which was hidden under some clothes that had spilled out of their trash bag, “You know this place is actually a pretty nice place to breakdown.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to be here for too long.” Chloe kicked the toolbox so that the lid would pop open, “So Max, about the last few days…I am sorry for being so distant. It’s just that when we kissed I knew that emotions were running high and I got carried away.”

"No," Max shook her head, "I was the one who got carried away. I thought that was why...I was afraid of bringing it up because I thought I had gone too far."

"So..." Chloe smiled, "What does this mean? Besides that we are both dumbasses?

"Well I don't think that we went too far." Max stepped closer to Chloe, "Do you think we went too far?"

"No," Chloe shook her head, "It felt great. So..uh...do you really want to do this?"

"I think so..." Max took another picture of Chloe, "I definitely want you."

Chloe smiled and went back to work on the engines, "I think I almost have this."

Max walked over to the edge of the overlook and took a picture of a fishing boat, "So is Arcadia Bay really the same as it was when I left?"

"Well yes and no, most of the important stuff is still around like the Two Whales." Chloe frowned, "But since my mom works there you will have to go without me."

"No matter how good the burgers are I would never betray you to get some." Max smiled when the truck roared to life, "I will just have to eat the lower quality burgers at Mack's Smokehouse."

"Out of business."

"The Triple Grill?"

"Out of business."

Max climbed into the truck's cab, "The Crab Shack?"

"Shut down by the health department." Chloe climbed into the driver's seat, "We do still have Melanie's Deli, a Beatnik Bean, a Burger Baron, and Peppy Polly's Pizza Paradise, which is now an adult pizzeria. Eat a greasy slice and watch half naked women dance on the stage once reserved for nightmare inducing animatronics."

"I think I will just learn how to cook then."

"I can grill." Chloe pulled out, "I bet my burgers are even better than my mom's."

"Is that a perk that I unlocked by dating you?"

Chloe groaned and shook her head, "No, it is a perk that you unlock by helping me steal my dad's grill from step-douche, but we will talk more on that later."

\------

When they got to Blackwell Max had to leave Chloe in the parking lot while she went into the main campus to finish up some paperwork and when she came out she found the step-douche tossing her belongings onto the ground while Chloe yelled at him to stop. She stormed up to David and yelled, "What the hell are you doing? Those are mine!"

David shoved Max and said, "Back off unless you have something to hide. It is my job to make sure no student is smuggling drugs onto campus."

"This is illegal." Max glared at David, "You are doing this because you are an asshole who thinks that a toy badge gives him the right to bully people."

"Back off." David's voice was firmer before, more demanding and full of anger despite being monotone, "This is your last warning."

"Or what?" Max stepped closer to David, "Are you going to hit me like you hit Chloe? Just try it."

Max saw David clench his fist and for a moment thought he was going to actually hit her, but before he could Dean Welles walked up and said, "What is going on here?"

"I was performing a routine search and this student..." David glared at Max, "began to act paranoid and aggressive."

"Routine search? You are harassing me because I am friends with your step-daughter." Max crossed her arms, "I want to file a formal complaint."

"Now let's not rush into anything." Welles' voice was calm, but from his eyes Max could tell he was going to side with David, "I am certain that Mr. Madsen was just trying to insure the safety and the security of the campus."

"So he does this to every new student?" Max picked up the teddy bear she had named Captain Trouble and clenched it tightly when the head fell loose, "He has destroyed my property. I will be making a list of everything he has damaged and I will want you to pay for the replacements."

Welles clenched his jaw and said, "Madsen. My office. Now!"

Max watched David and Welles walk away and let out a sigh of relief when Chloe hugged her from behind. "That was intense."

"I can fix Captain Trouble." Chloe slowly let Max out the hug, "Rachel taught me how to sew."

"Thank you." Max looked at her teddy bear and dropped it in the back of Chloe's truck, "Let's get this cleaned up and moved into my dorm."

"Are you sure you want to stay at the dorm?" Chloe started to pick up the scattered clothes, "Step-douche is going to come after you hard."

"I know, but I don't have a choice." Max sighed when she found that David had shattered the picture of her and her parents. She dumped the broken glass out of the frame and slipped the picture into her bag, "I have to live on campus until my third year."

Chloe picked up the now full box she was working on and said, "Well I don't think you need this place to tell you how to be a photographer."

"This place will help me become a real artist." Max picked up two trash bags of random stuff, "It will open doors to me when I start submitting my work to galleries."

Chloe smiled, "Well I will bet you twenty bucks that if you submitted your pictures right now you would be selected."

"I'd rather face down step-douche again."

"I speak only the truth." Chloe playfully bumped Max, "You are the bravest girl I know. You can do anything you put your mind to."

“I am not that brave.”

“Max you just cut down a man three times your age like he was a two year old child.”

“I think he would have hit me if Welles hadn’t showed up.”

“If he had I would have knocked him on his ass.”

Max stopped by the statue of the school’s founder so that her arms could rest and said, “So far this place is not what I expected.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well this is supposed to be one of the top colleges on the west coast, but it is almost a ghost town.” Max sighed and picked up the bags again, “Where are the rest of the students?”

“Well it is a Friday so they might be out partying.” Chloe feigned a smile, “Don’t worry about it. In a few days you will be a party girl from hell.”

“As if.” Max rolled her eyes, “The day I am a party girl is the day that the sky splits open and the world ends.”

“Never say never.”

They took the stairs down to the common grounds and entered the girl’s dormitory through a side entrance. Since there was no elevator they had to walk up three flights of stair to get to Max’s floor and when they found her room they found that the lock on the door was busted.

“Seriously?” Max bumped the door open with her foot and smiled when she saw that the previous occupant had left a lot of their furniture behind including a couch, a desk, a bookshelf, and a mini-fridge that was partially covered by a pillow sham. “Well the lock maybe busted but at least it is partially furnished.”

“I saw a guy outside working on the sprinklers so I am going to tell him about your door when I go back to the truck for your last box.” Chloe walked over to the couch, “We are going to need to deep clean this before I will allow you to sit on it.”

Max looked at the bed and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the mattress seemed decent, “This is still clean.”

“Just don’t use a black light on it.” Chloe laughed and kissed Max on the forehead. “I’ll be back in just a few minutes.”

Max nodded and dropped the trash bags next to the box before deciding to lay down for a moment. Organizing everything could be future Max’s job and since Chloe was going to be gone for a while she decided to take a quick nap just so that she would have the strength to hang out with Chloe a little more.

\-------

Max woke in the middle of the night because of a drunk yelling in the hallway, stumbled over the boxes she had decided not to unpack, and realized that Chloe had stuck a sticky note to her forehead that read, “See you tomorrow lazy bones. Also took a picture of you sleeping because you were being adorable. It is on your desk.”

Max was about to take a look at the picture when the drunk started to pound on her door causing it to pop open as the girl fell in. She knelt down to help the girl stand but the girl knocked her hand away as she staggered to her feet, “I…” the girl stumbled and grabbed a hold the door frame…”I don’t need your help.”

Max looked at the girl, her eyes were sharp and her outfit probably cost more than what she had spent on clothes the entire year, and said, “Are you sure you don’t need help?”

“I am Victoria…” Victoria paused and looked around the room, “You are that new girl…Max Caulifield.”

“Caulfield.”

“I fucking know your name.” Victoria leaned on Max, “You were handpicked by Mr. Jefferson but don’t think that matters. You…you will never be better than me.”

“Uh…”

Victoria took a hold of Max’s face, “Damn you are pretty…you stupid, pretty hipster…”

Max froze when Victoria passed out and gently moved her over to the couch as she tried to figure out what to do with her.

After a few minutes she decided to seek advice from Chloe and texted her, <HELP! Drunk girl barged into my room and passed out on the couch.>

After a few seconds Chloe replied with, <Max. Too early.>

<What do I do?>

<Just get her a blanket and try not to freak her out when she sobers up.>

<Should I find a bucket or something in case…you know?>

<That couch is already hella nasty so one more stain won’t make a difference.>

<I’ll use the trash can. Thanks Chloe>

<You owe me for this tomorrow.>

<How does six kisses sound?>

<Not good enough. You gotta help me clean my room. It smells like someone died in here and was stuffed into the walls.>

<Ugh…Fine. Night Chloe.>

<Night Max.>

Max tried to get back to bed but instead spent the next few hours lying on her bed either staring up at the ceiling or looking at her uninvited guest. She was grateful when the sun started to shine through her window and started to unpack her stuff as she waited for Chloe to text her again.

As she was hooking up her computer she head a soft voice cursing and turned her chair around to see that Victoria had made her way back to the land of the living and said with a bit of a laugh, “Morning.”

“Ugh…” Victoria shook her head and sat up, “What the fuck am I doing here?”

“You got drunk, barged in, and passed out.” Max smiled, “I didn’t know what to do so I put you on the couch.”

“Thanks.” Victoria rubbed her forehead and tried to straighten her sweater, “This doesn’t mean we are friends though.”

“Last night, among many other things, you said that you were also a photographer.”

“Wait…You are that new girl aren’t you.” Victoria took a few deep breaths, “I saw some of your pieces on Jefferson’s website. You are pretty talented.”

Max bit her lip and said, “That is not what drunk you said.”

“Well ignore her.” Victoria stood and stretched, “She is a dumbass who likes to mix tequila, and vodka.”

“Well I guess that means I will be seeing you in class on Monday.”

Victoria looked Max over like a wolf eyeing a baby deer and said, “Please tell me those are your pajamas and not your actual clothes.”

“What is wrong with what I am wearing?”

“It is too hipster emo.” Victoria shook her head, “I normally don’t do this but I have some old clothes I wouldn’t be caught dead in but are perfect for you. Wear them to class and to parties if you are invited but not as everyday wear. The clothes you have on now are perfect for the kind of photos you take.”

“Was that an insult or a compliment?”

“It is whatever you want it to be.” Victoria opened the door and glared at Max, “And if you tell anyone about this I will destroy you. Do you understand?”

Max nodded out of fear and smiled when she heard her phone ping, “That would be my girlfriend.”

“Very nice, Max.” Victoria smiled with approval, “Very nice.”


	3. Chapter 3

Max climbed into the cab of the truck and must have been blushing because Chloe laughed and said, “Did I interrupt something?”

“Uh…no.” Max smiled, “I just had a very surreal experience with a girl named Victoria, the drunk I texted you about.”

“Oh?” Chloe looked at Max, a little worried, and said, “What happened?”

“I don’t know how to explain it.” Max shook her head, “She is just very demanding, but I think we might become friends. She also liked it when I said I had a girlfriend.”

Chloe blushed, “You did not tell her that.”

“Of course I did.” Max smiled, “I am proud to have you as my girlfriend.”

“Well what if I asked you to help me break into someplace?” Chloe grinned wickedly, “Would you break the law for me?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“Good because I need your help breaking back into prison.” Chloe laughed, “I left behind a lot of stuff and I can’t ask for permission to get it.”

“Chloe…” Max fidgeted, “What about you mom. You could ask her and tell her that you don’t want David to be around when you get your stuff.”

“No, I can’t do that.” Chloe took a deep breath as she clenched the steering wheel tightly, “My mom would never choose me over David and she would try to get me to move back in and I would probably do it. Is there something wrong with me Max?”

“No.” Max reached over and gently squeezed Chloe’s arm, “Because we are going to break into prison. Did you leave the window to your bedroom unlocked?”

“It was when I left.” Chloe nodded, “David probably locked it so I couldn’t sneak back in.”

“You are Chloe Price.” Max smiled, “You know how to deal with locks I bet.”

Chloe smiled even wider when she realized that Max wasn’t humoring her, “Damn right I do.”

They drove through town with little care paid to the rules of the road and drove past the house a few times before they were certain no one was home and pulled into the driveway. Chloe was the first to use the truck’s hood to climb up to the roof above the garage and helped Max up as she said, “You are so weak, Max.”

“I am not weak.” Max steadied herself on the roof and took a picture of a blue jay perched on the satellite dish and said, “I am muscle intolerant.”

Chloe laughed and tried the window which slid open effortlessly, “And we are in.”

Max slipped through the window first and looked at Chloe as she flopped back onto the bed, “Oh I bet you often imagined me doing this many times haven’t you.”

Chloe jumped on Max and said, “We got a job to do.”

Max kissed Chloe and slipped her fingers through the strands of blue hair that weren’t hidden under Chloe's beanie, “I hate that you are right.”

Chloe took Max’s camera from around her neck and snapped a picture of them together before bouncing off the bed and taking another shot of Max all alone on the bed, “Damn you are distracting.”

Max hopped up and took the camera back as she said, “So what do we need to get?”

“Everything that will fit through the window.” Chloe started to dig through the junk on the shelf under her television and pulled out a camera, “I forgot I still had this. It was my dad's...Do you want it?"

Max took the camera and said, “Are you sure you want to give it to me?”

“You deserve it Max.” Chloe dumped out a duffel bag of rancid clothes and started to stuff clean clothes from the dresser into it. “Damn. I don’t have as much stuff as I thought I did. Let’s go raid the kitchen.”

Max slipped the camera into her bag as she said, “Is that a good idea?”

“Hell no but I am going to do it anyways.”

Max shook her head and followed Chloe downstairs, but instead of going into the kitchen she wandered into the living room which hadn’t changed much since they were kids except now it had a couple of deer heads mounted on the wall behind the plasma television. It figured that David would like to shoot helpless animals. As she looked at the dust covered snow globes hidden in the shelves built into the dividing wall she noticed the door to the garage was open and wandered in to see the kind of man cave David had built for himself.

Next to the washing machine he had set up a gun cabinet, because of course he was a gun nut, and besides having lots of tools and a classic car up on blocks there wasn’t too much that was unusual until she started going through the cabinets above the work bench and found a television along with a stack of files. She pulled the files down and said loudly, “Chloe come here.”

The first file was on Rachel including pictures of her and Chloe hanging out and pictures of her hanging with a sketchy looking dude next to a beat up RV, and the second was on her. It had no photos yet but he did have a list of almost all of her online aliases.

“What the fuck is this, Max?”

“David’s stalker reports.” Max handed the one on Rachel to Chloe and hit the power button on the television revealing that they were on camera. “Holy crap there are cameras all over the house.”

Chloe took a deep breath and before Max could stop her she pulled the television out of the cabinet slammed it to the floor and then ejected the tape from the VCR so that she could stomp it into oblivion.

“Chloe…”

“Let’s go.” Chloe picked up Rachel’s file again, “I got everything I want.”

“Sounds good.”

Max grabbed one of the bags of canned goods Chloe had gathered and followed her back up stairs. They dropped everything through the window before Max climbed through and hopped down onto the truck. She caught the bags the best she could and put them in the back of the truck before Chloe came down herself with her CD player cradled in her arms. “Well I’d say we made out like bandits.”

“Max, we could do this for a living.” Chloe sat her CD player into the back and climbed into the cab, “Now for the second half of this task. We gotta clean up my motel room and then get hammered on David's beer.”

“You can get hammered I will keep you from doing anything stupid.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Chloe laughed and sped out of the driveway, “And if you aren’t going to drink then I won’t either. I mostly just took it to piss off the asshole anyways but I am sure that what we did to his spy equipment will do that a thousand fold.”

“Chloe…” Max took a deep breath knowing how bad it was that they had made David mad at them but decided to drop it, “So how awful is your room at the motel.”

“Uh…you will see.”

\-----

After they finished cleaning Chloe's motel room and they fell back onto the queen sized bed together to listen to some music. For Max this was the best possible end to the day and she happily snuggled up to Chloe only to have Chloe jump away and change up songs as she started to dance, "Come on, Max, show me your moves."

Max laughed and found herself watching as Chloe swayed to the beat, "I am pretty sure I don't have any moves."

Chloe pulled Max into the dance, "That is nonsense Max Caulfield. You just gotta loosen up a little."

Max blushed as Chloe's hands found their places on her hips and she tried to mimic Chloe's moves but knew she was doing an awful job at it, "Told you I am no party girl."

"You aren't doing that bad." Chloe's phone started to sing Nine to Five and she sighed before saying, "That is Mr. Trotsky. He might need me to cut my vacation short. Give me a minute."

Max nodded and shut off the music after Chloe walked outside. She didn't have much to do without Chloe in the room so she went to the bathroom and washed her face before taking a selfie, but when the picture developed it was not her in it. It was Rachel Amber but after she closed her eyes and shook off the weird feeling causing the photo to return to normal. She kept looking at it and said, "I must have huffed too much bleach earlier trying to clean the tub earlier."

"Max, we got to go." Chloe came back in and started to change her clothes, "I got to work security tonight so our plans have been cut a little short."

Max tried not to watch Chloe as she slipped on a light blue blouse and black jeans but since she kept failing she finally walked over to the door so that her back would be to Chloe and said, "You work security?"

"Not normally, but our usual guy quit and the money is decent so I am not going to argue."

"You sound so grown up." Max turned back to Chloe when Chloe kissed her on the cheek, "Bad to the bone punk on the surface but a responsible, caring, and really smart adult on the inside."

"You know you should come with me and see about getting a job at American Rust as well." Chloe smiled and pulled her dad's coat from one of the bags they took from the house, "Our little shop gets a fair bit of business even if we do most of our sells online and I think you would be great at it. A cute face that won't scare off the people brave enough to step onto the bus."

"Onto the bus?"

"Hard to describe so if you want to know you will have to come with me."

Max sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat, "Extra cash would mean extra instant film. Fine I am in."

American Rust was thirty minutes outside of Arcadia Bay and the drive was pretty nice. Chloe was less reckless, and kept the radio turned down so that it was more of a white noise machine and Max rested her head on the window to watch the trees zoom by while imagining she was a deer running at top speed through them.

"I want to shave my head." Chloe was playing with her hair, "I am getting tired of this blue and if I try to bleach it out then it will turn green. What do you think I should do?"

"What is wrong with the blue?"

"Nothing but wouldn't you like to see me with my natural hair color again?"

"You could die it neon pink and I would still love it." Max looked at Chloe and took her hand, "So what is really going on?"

"I feel like it is time for me to try something new." Chloe sighed, "I know that my dream of leaving this town won't go anywhere and there is much left that I do have the power to change."

"Well I won't say shave your head." Max closed her eyes to try and imagine Chloe without any hair, "Yeah you would still be cute."

"You are no help at all." Chloe shook her head, "I will wait until I have more cash on hand and talk to a stylist."

Max was about to say something when Chloe pulled into the dirt parking lot of American Rust and her mind went blank. It was definitely a junkyard with towers of cars visible over its reinforced fence but there was also a small dealership with cars for sale and an actual bus that had been renovated into a store with a wide porch that wrapped around it and a large warehouse attached to the back.

She got out and started to take pictures when a very large, heavily tattooed man with a thick beard walked out of the bus. He was wearing a full denim outfit and at first scared Max until he started smiling, and yelled, "There is my star employee. Sorry to cut your vacation short a day Chloe, but I needed you." His voice carried with it a thick Midwestern accent that made Max think of Fargo, "My little brother got his car impounded again."

"No problem, Mr. Trotsky." Chloe jogged up to the porch, "But before you go I have a favor..."

"Chloe." Trotsky's voice deepened, "What happened to your face. Did David hit you again?"

"That was a week ago, and I am no longer living in that house." Chloe looked at Max to change subjects, "My girlfriend just got admitted to Blackwell and she needs a proper job."

"Good for you Chloe." Trotsky laughed and hugged Chloe, "So what is your name?"

Max took a picture of Trotsky and Chloe before saying, "It's Max and I only have some experience as a cashier. I used to work at the Beatnik Bean."

"Ugh, Their coffee is the worst." Trotsky shook his head, "Those poor kids wouldn't know how to make a proper mocha cappuccino if it came to life and told them. Do you know anything about organizing, data management, or accounting?"

"Uh..."

Trotsky broke out into laughter and slapped the railing, "I am joking. Come on in and we will fill out the paperwork. If you are anything like Chloe my business will need you."

Max climbed the ramp and was about to go inside when she saw a deer run halfway across the parking lot only to stop to look at Chloe's truck. She took a quick picture of it and went inside as she slipped it into the back of her journal.

The bus was narrow but without the seats it was easy to move down the long hallway to the counter built as a divider between the merchandise and the entrance to the warehouse. It had an antique cash register on it along with a wide array of bobble-heads and before she could lift the barrier Trotsky came back out with a stack of papers. He handed them to Max along with a pen and said, "Fill these out as you see fit so that I can make this official. The pay is a humble ten dollars an hour with some bonuses if you are able to make a sale. At six you can lock up the bus and ask Chloe to show you how to deal with the online orders. That part is pretty simple so you should have no trouble with it."

"Thank you." Max smiled, "So have you known Chloe long?"

"I have known her for about a year." Trotsky leaned on the counter, "She found her truck here and I tried to hire her when she got it up and running but she just laughed me off. She kept coming back though for parts and I kept asking. I think she thought I was some kind of creep or like her step dad."

"You know David?"

"Not personally, but you could say I know his work." Trotsky's face contorted with anger, "If Chloe asked I would pay that man a visit and either put him into the hospital or into the ground."

"Wow." Max started to work on the papers, "So is there anything special I should know?"

"If you get bored you are allowed to use your phone, I also got a chart somewhere around here that shows the cleaning schedule but I will have to teach you how to properly polish chrome first." Trotsky scratched at his beard, "Can I get your number just in case I forgot anything?"

"Of course." Max quickly wrote down her number and gave it to Trotsky, "Well I guess I will finish these papers and put them on your desk when I am done."

Trotsky gave Max a soft smile and left the bus leaving Max to finish the papers after which she worked on the photos she had taken. Most turned out great but the one with the deer was no good. It had turned white and all you could see was the outline of a very distorted deer. She still decided to keep it and pulled out her phone to see if anyone had texted her while it was turned off.

The first was from her Mom and it was about an angry call from David, the second was from her Dad saying that David had threatened to call the cops on her, and she replied to both with the incident that had happened in the parking lot so that they wouldn't worry. There was a third though from an unknown number that had sent her a picture of the lighthouse along with a string of random numbers and letters.

"BOO!"

Max fell off the stool with a startled yelp and punched Chloe in the knee for scaring her, "That was not funny."

"Sorry." Chloe snorted when she tried to repress her laughter, "But I couldn't resist. How do you like the job so far?"

"Well I am getting paid to sit around and do nothing."

"Is that a complaint?" Chloe shook her head, "Well, I am waiting on paint to dry so I can do the final coat of clear gloss. Want to play a card game?"

"As long as you don't cheat like when we were kids."

"I never cheated." Chloe smiled, "You were just terrible."


	4. Chapter 4

Mr. Jefferson was giving a speech on the techniques used by the first photographers, but Max couldn't care less. Despite it being her first official day in his class her mind was everywhere but where it needed to be. The table she had chosen had been Rachel's and she kept looking at the carving of a heart with the letters R and C inside of it. Max knew that Rachel and Chloe were together in high school but this showed that for Rachel it was not over. She still loved Chloe.

"Max..." Jefferson tapped his fingers on Max's desk, "Do you care to join us in our discussion or do you have something more important to do?"

Max looked up at Jefferson and froze for a minute when she looked into his eyes as a chill rushed down her spine. She swallowed the fear that came out of nowhere and said, "Sorry I got off work late last night."

"Well I respect that," Jefferson walked back over to the desk he was leaning on before, "But in order to make a career out of photography one must be able to dedicate oneself to it entirely. Now, Max, can you..."

Max smiled when the bell rang and wasted no time in packing up her things. She slipped her headphones on in order to drown out the noise around her and made her way to her locker but before she could get it open someone put their hand on her shoulder. She held back the yelp that tried to escape as she turned and let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was Victoria.

Victoria motioned for Max to take off her headphones and said, "You were a ghost in there today Max. Is something wrong?"

"Not sure." Max chewed on her lip nervously and said, "I think I am just tired."

"Well that happens." Victoria waved crossed her arms, "You also made a proper outfit out of the clothes I gave you. I was afraid you wouldn't know what to do with them or that they wouldn’t fit."

"Thanks..."

"Now tell me what is really on your mind." Victoria's eyes narrowed and she stepped in closer, "I know you aren't just tired."

"My table has the initials R and C carved into it." Max looked down to avoid Victoria's stare, "My girlfriend, her name is Chloe, used to date that missing girl Rachel Amber back in high school but if it was over between them then why did Rachel carve their initials onto the table inside a heart."

"Since when is Rachel considered missing?" Victoria backed up, "I thought she was just another burnout who decided to run away from her problems."

"So you knew her then?"

"She would come to the Vortex parties but she cared more about everyone liking her than actually trying to make friends." Victoria sighed, "In my opinion she was a fake. She just did whatever she could to be the center of attention."

"What if she didn't run away?" Max shook her head, "What if something happened to her?"

"I doubt it." Victoria looked at two girls as they walked up and said, "I have to go, but I might swing by your room later and I will give you some more fashion tips. I think it is time you considered doing something new with your hair. You need to show off your face instead of hiding it."

"Uh...thanks?" Max smiled and was so busy watching Victoria join her other friends that she didn't see Kate until she slammed into her. She backed up into her locker and winced as she said, "Sorry I was distracted."

"No harm done." Kate smiled warmly, "So how are you enjoying Blackwell so far?"

"To be honest I am really confused about a lot of things." Max laughed and started to walk with Kate, "You are a second year right, and Victoria is a second year but I am a first year so why are we in Jefferson's class together?"

Kate opened the door for Max, "Jefferson is able to set up his classes as he wants and doesn't give tests or give out any work besides asking for us to submit pictures to him ever so often."

Max laughed, "Well I was hoping that he would actually teach. I want to learn how to develop my own film in a dark room and how to properly use photoshop if I want to use a digital camera. I mean he is a legend so you would think he would impart some of the skills he learned in his career instead spending an hour talking about obscure pieces of photographic history."

"That is a pretty good point." Kate nodded, "I originally chose him as an elective because I thought he would show me how to use photoshop. I want to take my drawings and place them on photos that I make into my backgrounds. Instead I learned how to do it from Youtube."

"I think most people probably are in his class because they know it is an easy A." Max saw David and quickly ducked behind a tree to avoid him seeing her, "How many do you think actually want to be photographers after they graduate?"

"You and Victoria." Kate watched David go by, "I am here for their creative writing and illustrating classes. I want to be a children's book writer."

"Sorry if I am being a little odd." Max waited a couple more minutes before coming out from behind the tree, "David has it out for me."

"Because you are dating his step-daughter."

"Yeah...How do you know that?"

"I was in the parking lot last Friday trying to get some peace and quiet when you stood up against him." Kate smiled, "It was very impressive."

"Thanks." Max looked down and said, "I probably won't be able to do it again. It didn't even change anything. I filed my complaint and he is still here."

"Just be patient." Kate opened the door to the dorms, "Do you want some tea? It will help calm your nerves."

"I got an hour before work so some tea would be nice."

Max followed Kate up to her dorm and Max immediately fell in love with how inviting the room was. Kate had shelves full of succulents, a herb garden growing in front of the window and had tried to fill what negative space that remained with either pictures of her family or her own framed drawings of the most adorable animal people Max had ever seen, but none of them was as adorable as the tiny little bunny in the cage beside Kate’s bed.

While Max pet Alice Kate pulled out a simple green tea pot and sat it on an electric burner before pulling out a very fancy looking mahogany box that was full of a multitude of tea bags.

"Wow." Max looked over the tea bags, "You really like your tea."

"I actually make my own tea bags when I have the time." Kate smiled, "For you I would recommend the cinnamon, nutmeg, and chamomile."

"I will try whichever one that you think is best." Max looked at the drawing of a rabbit girl sitting on a bench with an eyeless mole girl, "I think you might be my favorite artist. Your drawings are a..."

"Max." Victoria stepped through the still open door, "So this is where you disappeared to. I am not interrupting anything am I?"

"Not at all." Max smiled, "Kate this is Victoria, Victoria this is Kate, and you two probably already knew each other...So what happened to Taylor and Courtney?"

"I sent them into town to get me lunch from the Two Whales." Victoria looked around the room, "Hmm...I expected more crosses and Jesus posters and less...These are really fucking great. Did you really draw all of these?"

"Yes." Kate looked at Victoria, "I could draw one for you and Max. Max would definitely be a doe, and you I would have to say either a fox or a badger."

"Fox please." Victoria smiled but went back to scowling almost immediately, "You know you could be quite popular if you quit pushing your religious agenda onto everyone."

"I have never pushed anything on anyone." Kate poured some water from the pot into the china cups she had prepared and carefully dropped in the tea bags, "All I have ever done is hang up flyers for my United in Christ Club that you and your friends keep tearing down or worse altering."

Max sipped her tea as Kate and Victoria's argument continued in circles and once the cup was empty decided to say, "I have to text my girlfriend to let her know I am ready for work. The tea was lovely, Kate, and I would love to do this again."

"So would I." Kate looked at Victoria, "You are invited as well."

"Why?" Victoria crossed her arms, "We obviously don't like each other."

"I like you just as you are." Kate smiled, "The real question is why don't you like yourself?"

"I like myself just fine." Victoria glared at Kate, "And I will show up but I will bring my own tea. I prefer green tea over all others."

Kate took a bite of a cookie and said, "Glad to have you."

Victoria huffed and said, “Well since you are inviting me to your thing I will also put you onto the guest list for the next Vortex party. I doubt you will have the nerve to show up but you can come if you want.”

Max watched Victoria as she stormed out of the room and looked at Kate as she said, "So you and her have history?"

"Actually that was the first time she ever actually talked to me directly." Kate took another sip of her tea, "I will be done with your character by tomorrow. I will either give it to you in class or slip it under your door."

"Just put it on my desk." Max looked at her phone when Chloe texted her, "The lock on my door is still broken."

Max stood and was about to walk back to her room to change when a strange feeling came over and the world started to blur. She grabbed a hold of the door frame but that did nothing to stop her from falling. She could hear Kate yelling but it was like she was underwater and sinking faster until there was nothing but darkness.

\------

Max woke in a place that looked familiar, but felt strange. It was the main street outside of the Two Whales but the colors were muted and the air felt thick as she moved. Then she saw the white void beyond the shops across the street that was slowly encroaching and distorting everything near it. She walked into the Two Whales and paused when she saw Rachel and Chloe sitting at the booth near the jukebox. They were arguing about Chloe getting kicked out of school for smoking pot in the bathroom but the argument stopped when Rachel looked at her and all of the people in the diner vanished.

"This is weird."

"Sorry," Rachel smiled in a way that made Max's heart skip a beat and she motioned for Max to sit with her. "You are even cuter than Chloe described."

"What is going on?"

"I don't know exactly. This is the first time I have tried this." Rachel leaned forward in the booth and rested her head on the back of her hands, "I wanted to tell you to keep Chloe safe."

"Are you dead?"

"Yes, but I don't know what happened." Rachel leaned back again, "All of this is so confusing for me. I remember being at a party and then there is nothing. Chloe wants you to find out what happened and so do I. Can you do that?"

"Are you the one texting me?"

"Trying but it's difficult." Rachel sighed as the white void started to consume the diner, "Being dead is a lot harder than the movies make it seem."

"What if I don't remember any of this?"

"Then I will gather my strength and try again." Rachel took hold of Max's hand, "I wish we could have met in person. I..."

The white void consumed Rachel and Max fell backward into it as she slowly faded as well.

\-----

Max woke up in Chloe's truck with a splitting headache and said, "What the hell hit me?"

"Max?" Chloe quickly pulled over, "Oh thank god you are finally awake."

"What do you mean?" Max rubbed her temples and groaned, "Did something happen?"

"You blacked out and we couldn't wake you." Chloe took Max's hand and let out a sigh of relief, "Your friends called me on your phone to ask if you had any allergies and we tried everything we could think of to get you to come around. I am going to take you to the hospital."

"No, I can't afford that." Max shook her head again, "I think I just need to eat something."

"What was the last thing you ate?"

"Uh..." Max paused and said, "Is it bad I don't remember? I think I had a bag of chips for breakfast and a cup of coffee from the college cafeteria."

"We are going to get real food into you immediately." Chloe grumbled to herself and pulled out her phone. She speed dialed someone and said, "Hello is this the Two Whales? Is Joyce Madsen working today?"

Max waited for Chloe to hang up and said, "What was that?"

"We are eating at the Two Whales because my mom is off today." Chloe smiled, "Should have thought of doing that sooner."

"What about work?" Max leaned over to rest her head on the window, "Won't Mr. Trotsky get upset?"

"I already called him and explained what was going on." Chloe smiled, "He said he would just close up early and work on the books. When we get to the Two Whales I'll call him again and tell him that you are okay. If I don't he is liable to go to the hospital to look for us."

"I am sorry for worrying you Chloe."

Chloe looked at Max and just reached over to touch Max's hand. She didn't say anything, because her eyes said enough and Max let her fingers play with Chloe’s. They pulled into the Two Whales parking lot and Max went inside to place their order while Chloe called Trotsky, but to Max's horror Joyce was working and she saw Max almost immediately.

"Uh...hi Joyce."

"Hiya, Max," Joyce looked around, "Where is Chloe?"

"Listen I don't want to be rude but I thought you weren't working today." Max fidgeted, "I mean we called up here and they said you were off."

"I told Frank to tell her that." Joyce sighed, "I need to see if I can talk some sense into that girl seeing how you aren't helping her. I mean first she hits David and then she breaks in just to destroy his office."

"So you aren't pissed that David hit Chloe?"

Joyce sighed, “Listen, Max, you don’t know how hard it is on David. We both are just trying to make a proper family, but Chloe keeps pushing him.”

"A family where the step-dad is an abusive asshole."

"MAX!", Joyce gasped in shock, "I expect that from Chloe but not from you. David is a good man, and he is only hard on Chloe because he expects better of her and to be honest so do I."

"Expects better?" Max felt the same anger building up as she did when she got into an argument with David. "She has a job, a steady income, and is getting her GED. I say she is doing pretty fantastic now that she doesn't have to look over her shoulder any more, and if you were any mother at all you would be on her side and not David's."

"Max..."

"Shut up. I am done talking with you. Now I want two bacon cheeseburgers, and two large orders of fries to go." Max took a deep breath to calm herself. "I think I will just wait here until they are ready."

Max texted Chloe to let her know that her mother got her coworkers to lie for her and thankfully got her food quickly due to the scene she had caused. Chloe wasted no time getting out of the parking lot and they drove to American Rust before eating the food while sitting on the tailgate of the truck.

"Did you actually chew out Joyce?"

"I did." Max smiled, "I had everyone in that diner watching me and it was unbelievably uncomfortable."

"I think I want to marry you Max."

"And maybe one day you will get that chance." Max laughed and ate her last fry, "To be honest this is better than eating in the Two Whales anyways."

"We need some tunes though and my radio broke again." Chloe shook her head, "It keeps eating my cassettes."

"Maybe it's telling you to upgrade to something more advanced." Max let Chloe have the bacon off her burger and took a bite, "Not as good as I remembered."

"Well that might be your fault." Chloe laughed, "But you are right these burgers aren't that good. You still got to eat it though. Dr. Chloe's orders."

Max pulled out her phone and hit play on her folk music playlist and closed her eyes as Lord Huron's To the Ends of the Earth started to play, "That better."

"Yeah." Chloe finished her burger, "We should go camping one day or maybe take a long drive down the coast just to escape for a little while."

"That sounds like a lot of fun." Max moved the bag of fries out of the way and scooted closer to Chloe, "I have always wanted to go to Yellowstone."

Chloe wrapped her arm around Max and said, "Arcadia Bay tourist walks off cliff while chasing a bird for photograph."

"More like Arcadia Bay tourist loses fight with a bear."

"I would never punch Smokie." Chloe laughed, "He carries a shovel and that just isn't fair."

"So where would you go?"

"Hmm..." Chloe rested her head against Max's, "If I could go anywhere it would be Paris. My dad always talked about going to Paris but we never had the money for it. That goddamn swear jar was so close when he died and that...Well I don't know what my mom spent it on but it went fast."

"Okay if we are picking cities then I chose New York." Max felt a chill in the air and was glad she was still wearing the maroon sweater that Victoria gave her, "I want to climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty."

Chloe tilted Max's head up and pulled her into a kiss that tasted of salt, bacon, and cheddar, but was still incredible. They were making out for almost a minute when Trotsky whistled loudly from the porch and shouted, "I hate to interrupt but since you two decided to show up I do have some small jobs for you."

"Be right there." Chloe kissed Max on the forehead, "I'll let you finish eating."

Max tossed what little was left of her burger to the crow that was watching them and hopped up, “I am done. I need something else to occupy my mind now.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Almost lost this chapter because of a corrupted flash drive but I saved it.

Max wasn't sure where she was but it felt familiar as she walked up the muddy path and found herself at the lighthouse. A huge party was going on around a bonfire and she pushed through the crowd of drunken teens to find Rachel clinging to Chloe's arm who was about to go over the edge of the cliff. Rachel pulled Chloe up and then turned to Max causing everyone to disappear, "Welcome back, Max."

"What is..."

"Technically a dream, yes I am a ghost, and no I don't know what happened to me." Rachel smiled, "This is the second time we have done this, but you didn't remember the first time so I decided to try again, but this time while you were sleeping."

"You caused me to black out earlier." Max shook her head and looked around, "So this is your memory then?"

"This is when Chloe and I first met." Rachel turned back toward the bay, "Luckily for both of us I was able to sneak out and come to this party or else Chloe would have..."

"She told me that you saved her life." Max smiled, "I thought she was being metaphorical."

"She slipped on a beer bottle." Rachel shook her head, "I thought that I wouldn't be able to catch her but when our hands met it was like time froze. Fate had decided we were meant to be together."

"Wow", Max stepped up beside Rachel, "That is really romantic.” 

"It was and at first she was so much fun to be around, but I couldn't stop her from spiraling so I decided to let go." Rachel hugged herself, "It felt awful, but afterward we did manage to stay friends and then you caught her. You stopped her from falling."

"Oh..."

Max remembered when she finally got the internet back three years ago and how excited she was when she found out that not only was her Tumblr still there but so was Chloe's. Then she realized that in those first few months of get to know each other again Chloe was hiding from her. She took a deep breath and shook off the intrusive thoughts. No matter what secrets Chloe still had she didn't care. If Chloe wanted her to know then she would tell her."

"But then something changed." Rachel looked at Max, "She started to change and I found those old feelings coming back. It doesn't matter now. She still has you and you have made her even happier than I did. Probably more than I could have if we had gotten back together."

"Rachel..."

"This is almost over." Rachel looked out to the bay as the sun started to rise, "I am the one who is texting you and I think I know how to make it work now. Use all of this to convince Chloe and please find out what happened to me so that I can be free."

"I will.", Max nodded, "For you and for Chloe. I will find out the truth."

\-------

Max jerked awake from the vision in a cold sweat and rubbed her arms to try to warm herself up. She pulled away the blankets and stumbled over to her desk to pick up her phone, but her fingers were so numb from the cold that she couldn't text so she chose to call instead. It took a moment for Chloe to pick up and it was even harder to say what she had to say, "Chloe come to my dorm immediately. I know it is late but I have something that I have to tell you. It is about Rachel."

"Whoa, Max, slow down." Chloe's voice was still heavy with sleep, "Say that again?"

"I need you." Max sat down on the couch, "I need you right now."

"I'll be there as soon as I can be."

Max stood again and back over to her bed to flip on the lights in her room before picking up William's camera and taking a selfie with it before saying, "Rachel are you still here?"

Max's phone buzzed and she picked it to see that she had a new text.

<You remembered.>

Max took a deep breath and texted back, <This is weird.>

<And it is tiring. I won't be able to do this much more tonight.>

<Then save your strength until Chloe gets here.>

Max sat her phone down on her text and opened spent the next twenty minutes looking up ghosts and other paranormal entities on the computer. She had several tabs open and was reading an article on Wikipedia about Necromancy by the time that Chloe walked in.

"Your door is still busted."

"I am starting to get used to it." Max spun her chair around, "Alright you won't believe this but I saw Rachel. She came to me in a dream."

"What?" Chloe walked over to feel Max's forehead and backed away, "Geez, Max you are freezing."

"Rachel is dead." Max decided that being blunt was the best way to handle this. "She came to me so that we would know. She wants us to figure out what happened."

Chloe crossed her arms and tensed up as she said, "This isn't fucking funny."

"You met at a bonfire party at the lighthouse. You slipped on a beer bottle and Rachel saved your life. She said that when she took a hold of your hand it was like time froze."

"No." Chloe backed up, "No fucking way is she dead. Please tell me that this is just a sick joke."

Max looked at her phone when buzzed and read the text aloud, "My parents called the cops on you the first time I took you home. They thought that you had stolen my mom's purse but she had just left it in her car."

Chloe sat down and started to tremble, "Why are you talking to Max and not me?"

Max's phone buzzed again, "I tried but I couldn't reach you, but Max is like a open book. Need to rest now."

"Wait!" Chloe stood and then sat back down, "Never mind."

Max sat down next to Chloe and said, "I know this is weird but we have to help her. We have to find out what happened."

"I still can't believe she is dead." Chloe pulled Max closer and started to cry, "Who the fuck would want to hurt her?"

"I don't know." Max rubbed her hand up and down Chloe's back and Chloe pulled herself up, "I like her...or would have liked her had I got the chance to meet her."

Chloe wiped her tears away, "She would have loved you as well. She would have found a way to be in almost all of your shots."

"I don't want you driving back to the motel." Max looked at her bed, "It is smaller than the one back in my old room but we should be able to make it work."

"Alright, but no funny business." Chloe laughed, "Rachel might get jealous."

Max punched Chloe in the arm, "Now is not the time for jokes."

Chloe stood and lifted Max up, "Rachel wouldn't want me to be sad so I will bury it under bad jokes."

Max rolled her eyes and let Chloe lay her down onto the bed. She slid over against the wall so that Chloe could take half of the bed and fell back to sleep while wrapped in Chloe's arms. This time there were no dreams of Rachel, only dreams of deers and birds and then of her at the beach with Chloe.

\------

The next morning Max had to untangle herself from Chloe and slipped out quietly to take a shower. She caught Victoria defacing one of Kate's posters and took it down so that Kate wouldn't see it and would have said something to Victoria about it but was just too tired. She almost fell asleep while washing her hair and staggered back to her room just in time to catch Chloe snooping through the clothes that Victoria gave her.

"See anything you like?"

Chloe jumped and said, "Sorry, I guess I am trying to figure out what kind of friends you have made so far."

"Just two, Kate and Victoria and you met them already." Max pulled out a black sleeveless shirt with a hood and new for a fact that it was not something sober Victoria would have bought, "This looks like you size."

"Holy crap this thing is made of pure silk." Chloe slipped it on and laughed, "Not only does it fit but it is just slightly too big. Where did you get these clothes?"

"From Victoria." Max changed into her normal clothes and dug her hoodie from the dirty clothes pile, "They came with rules attached.”

"Victoria is the bitch right?" Chloe sat down on the couch and said, "She glared at me the entire time I was trying to help you and kept yelling at the other one, Kate, because she thought that her tea poisoned you." 

"She cares but is just awful at showing it." Max sighed and picked up her bag, "I have to head to class. What are you going to do?"

"Head to the public library." Chloe kissed Max on the cheek, "I got a test today and if I pass I will officially be something. I don't know what yet but I will be something."

Max grabbed Chloe by her new shirt and pulled her into a kiss, "I am proud of you."

"Hell I am proud of myself right now." Chloe laughed, "Past me would be amazed at what I have done with the pieces of what they left behind.” 

"See you at work then?"

"You bet." Chloe grinned, "Today is the day you learn how to properly empty the oil from an engine and how to properly dispose of it."

"I thought I was just going to be a cashier?"

Chloe shrugged and waited for Max to leave before shutting the door, "So you are never going to fix that lock?" 

"If I see Samuel I'll ask him." Max shrugged, "Unless he is busy. If he is busy then I will wait until later."

Max walked with Chloe to the parking lot and kissed her one more time before letting her go. She started back to the school but was stopped by David who must have been following her from the dorms.

"Why was Chloe in the dorms?"

"Why do you care?" Max crossed her arms, "It's my room, and I can have whoever I want over."

"It is a violation of the dorm rules to have someone stay the night." David tried to grab Max but she backed away, "You need to come with me right now. Dean Welles will need to speak with you."

"You are just doing this because I filed a complaint against you for harassment." Max laughed despite trying to remain calm and respectful, "And you reply with more harassment. You are unbelievable."

"I am just doing my job so quit giving me trouble and come with me."

Max started to follow David and said, "So did you harass Rachel this much as well? Do you harass everyone that gets close to Chloe? Is it control you are after or something else?"

David turned to Max with his hand raised but froze before acting on the impulse. He clenched his jaw and said, "Get to class. I will let you off with a warning this time."

Max ran from David but didn't go to class right away. She ran into the bathroom to splash some water on her face and tried to get her hands from trembling. She took a few deep breaths and made a mental note to add David to the top of the suspects list. She didn't think that would have meant to kill Rachel, but he may have done it by accident.


	6. Chapter 6

Max was about to fall asleep at her desk after nearly three hours of trying to read a book on the history of blues for her music class and making her own file on David based on what she could find out on the internet. She wasn't about to follow him around and take photos, something he was most certainly doing it to her, but she was still able to get a pretty decent idea of his time in the military up until he was honorably discharged. She closed her books and loaded some indie folk rock to listen to as she slept, but didn't make it three steps when her phone buzzed as a picture of Kate appeared along with the words, <Find her.>

Max's heart immediately sank and she ran from the dorms as fast as her legs could carry her and burst into the gymnasium where the Vortex Party was being held and found Victoria soaking her feet in the pool while sipping beer from a red solo cup. "Where is Kate?"

"You mean the party slut?" Victoria laughed and held up her phone to show Max a video of Kate clinging to a girl while making out with another, "You just missed her. She left with Nathan just a couple minutes ago. I guess she decided to finally..."

"Fuck you, Victoria." Max almost snarled, "I thought that under that bitchy exterior you were a half decent person, but I was wrong. Just look at that video and realize for yourself what kind of person you are."

"Max..."

Max ignored Victoria and ran across the campus to the parking lot. She barely made it in time to catch Nathan and had to jump in front of his car to get him to stop. She slammed her hands onto the hood and said, "Let Kate go."

Nathan leaned out the window with a smile on his face and said, "Whoa calm down. I am just taking her to the hospital."

"Fuck if you are." Max yelled, "If she needs to go to the hospital I will be the one to take her. Let her go right now or I will call the cops."

Nathan stepped out of the car and said, "I said move."

Max walked up to Nathan. "Make me."

Max stood firm when Nathan shoved her and slammed her fist into his face so hard that he fell back on his ass. Her knuckles were bleeding but she ignored it as she opened the backseat to carefully pull Kate out as she said, "Don't worry I have got you now Kate."

"Max?" Kate laughed, "When did you get here? I thought you didn't like to party."

Max saw a shadow move behind them but before she could turn Victoria came out of nowhere and slammed into Nathan knocking the wind out of him, "Victoria?"

"I..." Victoria threw up on Nathan, "Fuck you, Max. I was so much better off without you!Before you I didn't give a shit what anyone thought! Are you still disappointed in me? Please don't be disappointed in me. I can't lose you. You are the only person who isn't a fake. I am a fake."

Max slapped Victoria lightly to snap her back to reality causing Kate to say, "No, Maxie, don't be mad at her. She is too pretty to be mad at."

"Victoria can you help me get Kate back to the dorm?"

Victoria staggered and said, "Will do Maxie."

Max took one side and Victoria took the other, but she proved less than useful in her inebriated state. They had stop once to let Kate throw up in the fountain in front of the school but thankfully no one saw them and they were able to make it to Max's dorm without any trouble.

Max put Kate on her bed and Victoria passed out on the couch while Max called Chloe with the hope that she knew anything about roofies. The call went to voicemail and Max left a quick message trying to explain the situation before covering Kate up. She didn't have anything for Victoria but she didn't seem to care even with the fact she was still barefoot.

Max sat down at her desk and took a deep breath as she tried to figure out what had happened. She had never even talked to him before. He was just one of Victoria's friends who barely showed up in class. He was also a Prescott which meant that he basically owned half the town and the entire boy's dorm, and he was the founder of the Vortex Club.

Max shook off the urge to sleep and instead decided to look into the Prescotts and all of their connections to the school. She already knew about their foundation, it was the source of her scholarship, but she didn't know that they were the ones who brought in Jefferson. She yawned and printed out an article about Nathan from a blog called the Blackwell Vox Populi. 

After a few more minutes of struggling against the urge to sleep she snuck over to Victoria's room and used the key she kept taped above the her door to get inside. She started to go through Victoria's stuff and thankfully found what she was hoping to find. An entire drawer of cold brewed coffee. She guzzled one down and cracked open another as she left the room and ran into Chloe.

Max let out a sigh of relief and said, "Oh thank god you got my message."

"One of your friends was drugged?"

Max dragged Chloe into her room and pointed to Kate, "She seems okay now but I am certain Nathan slipped something into her drink."

"What about Victoria?"

"She is just drunk." Max took a deep breath, "Fuck. I should have went. Kate asked me to go and Victoria asked me to go but I said no to both of them."

"It is not your fault." Chloe checked Kate's pulse, "And she is fine. Her pulse is strong and steady. What happened to your hand?"

Max looked down and remembered she had busted a knuckle once she saw the blood now caked on her fingers, "Shit I punched Nathan Prescott."

"Come on let's get that cleaned up." Chloe took Max by her good hand and led her down the hall to the bathroom she turned on the water and said, "It is my turn to play doctor."

Max shook her head and let Chloe work while she sipped the coffee. Thankfully the wound looked worse than it was and didn't even need a bandage. She gave Chloe a kiss on the cheek and walked back out into the hallway but paused when she saw a police officer and David trying, and for some reason failing, to get her door open.

"Uh...What is going on?" Max walked up, "I didn't call the police."

David smiled and said, "That is Max Caulfield."

The cop nodded and said, "Max Caulfield you are under arrest for assaulting Nathan Prescott. Anything..."

Max toned out the officer as the horror of the situation sank in and she cut him off when he started to talk about her right to an attorney, "I am under arrest? Nathan Prescott drugged my friend and was going to do who knows what to her. Why the hell aren't you arresting him?"

"According to Nathan you attacked him after he told you he was taking your friend to the hospital." The officer pulled out his handcuffs, "Please get on the floor and put your hands behind your back."

"What the fuck?" Chloe piped in, "How much are the Prescotts paying you to do this?"

"Chloe no." Max got down on her knees and put her hands behind her back as the other girls on the floor opened their doors to see what was happening, "Nothing good will come from both us being locked up. "Just explain everything to Kate and Victoria in the morning." 

"She is not staying." David stepped between Max and Chloe, "If I catch you here in the morning I will bring trespassing charges against you."

"Max..."

"Call them." Max looked at the officer, "Can my girlfriend get her phone from my room?"

"Go ahead." The officer watched Chloe go into the room and clamped the handcuffs down on Max's hands so tightly they made her fingers go numb, "You can stand up now."

"Can you loosen up the cuffs." Max winced in pain as she stood, "They are too tight."

"Do you want me to add resisting arrest to your charges?"

Max bit down on her cheek to keep from saying anything and looked to Chloe as she left the room, "Remember to call Kate and Victoria in the morning. Tell them everything."

"Come on." The officer yanked on Max to get her to walk, "We don't have all night."

Max held back another urge to talk again and looked at the other girls as she walked down the hallway. Some of them took pictures and others just whispered to their friends and Max knew that by morning the entire town if not the west coast was going to know what happened. Her parents were going to kill her. One week into college and she was going to jail. Hopefully they didn't believe the lies Nathan was spreading and instead believed what Chloe told them. In her heart she knew they would always take Chloe's side but still she was worried.

\------

Max was able to get some sleep at first since the police officers on duty decided to ignore her after she was thrown into the holding cell. She wasn't really aware of the passage of time until they brought in a woman who was built like a professional wrestler with one eye clouded over from what appeared to be a nasty burn. She was trying not to stare but the more nervous she got the more her eyes drifted to the woman until she said, "The name is Clara and I don't bite. What is a sweet looking thing like you doing in here?"

"Assault." Max relaxed a little, "I punched a guy named Nathan Prescott for trying to possibly kidnap a friend of mine who was drugged at a party."

"You don't look like the type to hurt a fly."

Max shrugged, "Well my friend was in danger. I did what I had to do."

"Keep telling this story and you will do good in prison."

Max swallowed and tried not to seem terrified of the possibility of going to prison for what she did. She took a deep breath and said, "What did you do?"

"Fed my boyfriend to his dogs." Clara smiled, "Told the asshole not to hit me again but he didn't listen so I got myself an axe and made good on my promise."

"Holy shit."

"Was planning on leaving the states and heading up to Canada but got caught crossing the border." Clara laid down on the cot she was using a bench, "Would be in Los Angeles right now but the cruiser transporting me broke down."

"My girlfriend punched her step-dad once."

"She got arrested?"

"No," Max smiled, "The punch was revenge for everything he did to her and now she is living on her own."

"She should have killed him" Clara laughed, "Doesn't solve anything but it feels so good."

The officer that arrested her walked up to the and opened the door, "Max Caulfield, your lawyer is here."

"I don't have a lawyer."

"Well if you don't want her you have to tell her yourself." The officer glared at Max, "Come on. I don't want to be standing here all day."

Max stepped slowly from the cell and followed the officer to an interrogation room where a very stern looking woman in a crimson suit was going over her case file, "I never asked for a lawyer."

"I technically work for the Chase family." The woman removed her reading glasses and closed the file, "My name is Arlene Cervantes, but please call me Ms. Cervantes. I was called in by Chase's daughter Victoria to handle this situation. The firm I work for has already paid off your bail so as long as you don't try to run or do anything else illegal we should be able to settle this before it reaches a courtroom."

"How will you do that?"

"I might be better for you if you don't ask that question."

"Thank you for helping me at least."

"It feels nice to be on the right side for once." Arlene smiled, "As a corporate attorney that doesn't happen often, and it probably wouldn't have happened if it had hit anyone besides Prescott. My firm has several clients with an interest in that family's holdings."

"Oh..."

Arlene stood, "They should be finished with your release papers."

Max stood and thought for a moment before writing down her phone number, "Can you give this to Clara? She was sharing the holding cell with me. Tell her to call me when she gets back to LA so that I can write to her."

"This is very unusual but alright." Arlene nodded, "I think your friends are waiting for you outside. Go ahead to them, but remember don't run and don't do anything illegal."

"You can trust me not to do either of those things."

Max walked out of the station slowly knowing that almost every officer was watching her and as soon as she was outside she was in the arms of Chloe. She melted into the embrace and said, "I missed you. I feel like I have been locked up for days."

"It has only been ten hours." Chloe let Max go, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I am feeling as good as I can be." Max looked at Victoria and said, "Thank you so much for calling Ms. Cervantes for me. She seems like a really great lawyer."

"I just hope she can help." Victoria crossed her arms, "I can't believe I was fucking friends with Nathan. I knew he was a freak but I didn't realize..."

"Where is Kate?"

"Still at the dorm." Victoria smiled softly, "She is trying to run damage control. She is making sure everyone hears her side of the story and knows that you were doing the right thing."

"Going back to the dorm sounds like a good idea." Max nodded, "I need to lay on a real bed for a little while."

"Alright." Chloe nodded, "Step-douche won't like me being on campus, but I don't care. I need to be there for my girlfriend."

Max hugged Chloe and said, "I love you."

Chloe blushed and said, "I love you, too."

They got into Victoria's convertible and drove back to Blackwell and Max was shocked to see that the walls around the parking lot were covered in posters saying Max Caulfield, Victim of the Prescotts.

Max pulled one of the posters from under the windshield wiper of a beat up Volvo and said, "This is Kate's doing?"

"Kate and a bunch of others." Victoria smiled, "For someone who rarely talked to other people you made one hell of an impression by hitting Nathan. You cut me off before but I am just as guilty as Nathan. I was friends with him. I ignored what he what he was doing because he was able to do whatever he wanted."

"Head's up step-douche is on his way." Chloe stepped in front of Max, "Max has been through enough so back off."

"I am under orders from Welles." David crossed his arms, "He wants to speak with Max and Victoria. He has also told me to not to interfere in this matter either so for the moment Chloe you will be allowed to move freely on campus."

Max gave Chloe a quick kiss on the cheek and said, "Go to my dorm. I will be there in a moment."

"I will try not to cause any trouble."

Max and Victoria followed David to Welles' office where Nathan and Kate were already waiting. Welles pointed at the available seats and after they sat down said, "To be honest, Ms. Caulfield, I am incredibly disappointed in you. In the week that you have been here you have already shown yourself to be a highly aggressive individual with severe issues with authority. Although you have been let out on bail I cannot allow you to return to Blackwell. You will have until the end of the week to clear out your dorm but as of today you are expelled."

"You can't be serious." Victoria jumped up so fast she knocked her chair backward and slammed her hands down Welles' desk, "This prick drugs a girl and tries to kidnap her and he gets to walk but Max, who was just protecting her friend, is railroaded?"

"Nathan Prescott is a star student who was just trying to help a girl who obviously couldn't handle herself at a party get the help she needed." Welles glared at Victoria, "Which brings us to why you and Kate are here. I am ordering you two to tear down all of those posters and cease your slander of Nathan Prescott or else you will be expelled as well."

"I only had a bottle of water at that party." Kate broke in, "I went to keep Victoria from harming herself and I can't remember anything after taking a sip. I was drugged. I know I was."

"That may be the story you want to go with, Ms. Marsh, but Nathan has provided me with evidence showing the contrary." Welles looked at Kate, "Do you wish to continue this conversation because if you do then I will have no choice but involve your parents."

"This is bullshit." Kate clamped her hands over her mouth and said, "I am sorry. I shouldn't have...I meant no disrespect."

"I accept your apology." Welles nodded, "You three are free to go, and Max remember that you have until the end of the week to clear out your room or else we will have to charge you with trespassing."

Max left the room with Kate and Victoria, and together they went back to Max's dorm where the had a heated discussion over everything that happened in Welles' office afterward Victoria started to pace with anger and said, "Did you here him call Nathan a star student? I was his friend and I know for a fact he was anything but that. I mean he doesn't even attend half his classes."

"Welles would know." Chloe crossed her arms, "He is obviously in Prescott's pocket."

"Then we break into his office and find out what he is hiding." Victoria stopped pacing, "We have to do it tonight if possible so that he doesn't have time to destroy any evidence."

"Not all of us." Max shook her head, "You two still have a chance here. I will be the one to do it."

"Well you can't do it alone." Chloe smiled, "And since you are my girlfriend I gladly volunteer my services as a reformed criminal."

"Then me and Victoria will be your lookouts." Kate chimed in an almost excited voice, "Just in case David shows up."

Victoria nodded and said, "Are we actually going to do this?"

"Yes." Max took Chloe's hand for courage, "Tonight we find out all of the secrets of Blackwell's most elite student."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was going to do this with a break but I have decided that the mood would be better served if that time skip happened in another chapter. This is the beginning of the end or the beginning of a fresh start for Max and Chloe.

They waited until it was almost midnight to leave the dorm and made their way to the side entrance so that no one would notice them for all of the shrubs and trees. They were able to unlock the door with some keys Victoria had stolen from Samuel and quietly slipped inside.

Seeing the school after dark gave Max a chill that she couldn't explain, but Chloe seemed to be having the time of her life. It was also harder to navigate the halls in the dark, but they knew they couldn't risk using flashlights.

As they passed by the art class Max's phone buzzed but instead of it being Rachel it was Victoria, <How are you doing?>

<We are almost to the main office.>

<Hurry up. The tobanga is creepy looking at night. There is an owl on it that is just staring at me.>

Chloe laughed and said, "She is scared of an owl?"

Max put away her phone and shrugged, "Maybe it's a very big owl. Remember when we saw one eat a rat while camping out in your backyard?"

"I remember you crying." Chloe shook her head and pointed at the sign above the main office door, "You had me hold you all night afterward."

"That was nice." Max opened the door to the office, "But then you ruined it by leaving the tent to see if you could find a pellet?"

"A pellet is a ball of fur and bone." Chloe smiled, "I was not only a nerd back then but a weird nerd."

"You are still a weird nerd under the tats and the attitude." Max laughed softly and tossed the keys to Chloe, "I'll give you the honors of unlocking the last door."

"Thank you." Chloe walked up to the door and started to try the keys but after trying the last one said, "What the hell? Why doesn't any of these keys work?"

The door clicked and slowly opened before Max's phone buzzed. <I am hella awesome.>

"Thanks Rachel." Max kept her phone out as she walked over to Welles' desk and said, "His computer doesn't have a password."

"Of course not." Chloe pulled a bottle of vodka from the bottom drawer of a file cabinet. "He probably can't think straight half the time."

Max started to go through the files on Welles' computer. "Being in Prescott's pocket must be stressful."

Chloe started to browse the shelves and said, "I found your file."

"I already know what it says." Max found a locked file and leaned back in the massive chair. "Found something that does have a password."

"Oh that is definitely something we need to get into." Chloe pulled down two files, "I found Rachel and Nathan's files."

Max typed in the word Blackwell into the password screen but it was denied, "What do you think Welles' would choose as a password?"

"I don't know." Chloe flipped open the top file and said, "Nathan's is absolutely perfect. Straight A's, perfect attendance, and he even volunteers his time tutor students and running the Vortex Club. He sounds like a perfect little saint doesn't he?"

<Try something really simple like password."

Max shrugged and typed in password which was kicked out but as she thought about the idea of it being simple she got an idea and typed in nathanprescott which opened the file, "The password for his file on Nathan was nathanprescott."

Chloe laughed and walked over, "So what do we have?"

"Give me a second." Max plugged in her flashdrive and said, "Hmmm we have a video of Nathan smashing up the music room, a video of Nathan pissing in the fountain, a video of Nathan threatening some guy with a gun in the performing arts center, and a drawing of something?"

"It's not a drawing. Its words." Chloe zoomed in on the picture, "It says Rachel in the darkroom over and over again..."

The lights in the room flickered and a new text appeared on Max's phone, <I remember.>

"Did Nathan kill you?"

<I was leaving the party when he came up behind me. He said something but then there was this pain in my neck. The world went dark and when I woke up I was in the backseat of his car. We were driving out of town to a farm. It starts to get fuzzy after that. There are pieces still missing but I think I can find it. I think I can show you where it is."

Chloe grabbed the phone and said, "How?"

<Meet me in the parking lot.>

Max and Chloe nodded in unison and once they had all of the files transfered to the flashdrive ran out of the school the same way they got in. They gave the flash drive and keys back to Victoria and said, "We have it all, but we may get more."

Victoria tossed the keys to Kate and pocketed the flashdrive, "What do you mean?"

"We may have figured out what happened to Rachel." Max took a deep breath, "Go ahead and give all of the info we already have to Juliet but tell her that an even bigger story might be on its way."

"Are you serious?"

Max nodded and ran after Chloe who was already halfway to the parking lot, "Wait for me."

"Sorry," Chloe slowed down, "But if Rachel is serious about being able to lead us to where she died. When you promised me that we would find out what happened I didn't believe it would happen. I was just happy that you believed me and now look where we are."

"We are paranormal detectives getting ready to crack a case wide open."

They stopped at Chloe's truck not too sure what was going to happen but a few seconds later a deer came trotting out of the woods and looked at them before starting to run down the road.

"Did Rachel just possess a deer?"

"Less questions and more chasing." Max jumped into the cab of the truck, "Come on before we lose her."

Chloe nodded and sped out of the parking lot so that she could catch up to Rachel but after a few miles the deer stopped and ran back into the woods only to be replaced by a blue jay that Max had to lean out the window to keep an eye on as it flew away. Rachel jumped birds four more times before they came to a dirt road nearly twenty miles outside of town.

The sun was starting to rise and Rachel landed on the hood of the truck in the form of a raven before leading them down the dirt road to an old barn. Max got out first and took a picture of the raven as it flew up to the hole in the barn's roof, and said, "Do you remember anything else Rachel."

Chloe came out of the truck with Max's phone and said, "Nothing new."

"Well let's go check out the inside of the barn." Max walked up to the main doors but found them padlocked, "This lock is brand new."

"Give me a moment." Chloe walked to the back of the truck and pulled a crowbar from her toolbox. She walked up to the door and pried the lock off, "Brute force is the best kind of key."

Max rolled her eyes and walked into the barn. At first it seemed like no one had been in it for a while but then she noticed that there was a clear trail through the hay on the floor leading to the back past the antique steamer trunks and wall of rusted farm tools. She followed the trail to a rusted metal hatch and said, "We need your key again."

"With pleasure." Chloe walked over and tore the padlock off the hatch before pulling the doors open, "This screams serial killer secret room."

"We have to go down."

Max took a deep breath and walked down the stairs into a concrete bunker with sterile white walls. As she walked down the tunnel the lights came on automatically and at the end she found a blast door that requires a passcode to unlock.

"Well my key is useless..." Chloe backed up as the keypad started to spark and the door opened with a soft hiss as the air rushed inside, "Thanks Rachel."

"No signal." Max held up her phone and walked into the photo studio full of state of the art photography equipment. She picked up a note left on the counter and said, "A credit card receipt for a six thousand dollar camera signed by Nathan."

"Try not to touch too much, Max." Chloe stepped past Max and to look at the chair positioned in the center of a small stage with a plastic covered couch in front. "This place makes my skin crawl."

Max looked down into the trash can by the computer and saw a red binder with Kate's name on the spine, "Nathan was planning on bringing Kate here."

"What for..." Chloe paused as a cabinet flew open and another red binder came floating out. "Rachel?"

Max backed up as Rachel slammed the binder onto the desk and watched in horror as the pages started to turn creating a horror show of Rachel being stripped and posed like a puppet but then the photos from inside the studio stopped and a new set of photos featuring Rachel on a throne of branches started and she nearly threw up when she saw Rachel's body go up in flames.

Max ran into Chloe's arms and said, "We have to call the police. We can't deal with this ourselves."

"He burned her." Chloe pulled Max tight against her chest, "He burned her. He made her into a twisted fucking art piece."

"Rachel..." Max started to walk but stayed by Chloe's side because she wasn't sure if her legs wouldn't just give out on her, "Nathan can't buy his way out of this. He will pay for what he did."

Chloe nodded and started up the stairs, "His whole fucking family will pay for this."

They reached the top of the stairs and froze when someone shot past them into the wall. They carefully came out of the tunnel and turned to not only Nathan but Jefferson as well.

Nathan kept the gun trained on them as Jefferson took the crowbar from Chloe and said, "While I am surprised that you found this place it was incredibly stupid of you to think that we would not have an alarm set up to alert us if someone entered it."

"You..."

"Surprised? Did you really think Nathan here could do all of this alone?" Jefferson laughed, "Nathan is just my prodigee, my pupil. I met him at an art show in San Francisco and I knew immediately that he had the talent to become something truly great if he had a proper hand to guide him."

"Why?"

"Because true art requires sacrifice." Mr. Jefferson sighed, "There is something truly special about seeing the light fade from an innocent's eyes when they realize how awful this world truly is. I will teach you that soon, and then I will go get Kate again or maybe Victoria. Unfortunately Chloe will not be a part of this masterpiece. All I see in your eyes is rage. You would kill me..."

"Rachel..."

"Yes I killed Rachel." Jefferson sneered, "Fucking bitch was already on something and had a reaction to my sedative. You saw the photos. She was truly glorious..."

"Rachel stop..."

"Who are you..."

Jefferson was barely able to turn before Nathan blew a chunk out of his head and after firing three more shots into Jefferson's chest pressed the barrel of the gun against his own temple so hard he started to bleed.

"Rachel stop." Max stepped forward, "Don't do this."

"WHY NOT?!" Nathan screamed, "You saw the photos. You saw what they did to me. I wasn't dead! I tried to scream but the drugs had me trapped without any control over my body. I felt nothing but pain for the few seconds of my life."

"And Nathan should pay for that but not like this." Max stepped closer, "This is not justice. This is vengeance. Just lower the gun."

"I..." Nathan started to lower the gun but instead raised it again, "Max he is fighting me. He wants to die. I made him feel what I felt to get control and he wants to die. He is stronger than me. I..."

Max backed up as the gun went off against Nathan's cheek causing the bullet to tear through his jaw and this time she did throw up as Chloe ran to Nathan. Chloe tore Nathan's shirt off and pressed it against the gaping wound as she said, "He is still alive. Go outside and try to call the cops."

"What do we tell them?"

"The truth or at least most of the truth." Chloe shook her head, "I can't believe I am trying to save this mother fucker's life after what he did."

"We have to." Max started toward the door. "It may feel awful but it is still the right thing to do."

Max had to climb on top of Chloe's truck to get a signal and tried her best to tell the cops where they were and what had happened but she was so panicked she had to repeat herself several times before they understood. She knew that she had to go back into the barn but couldn't bring herself to do it so instead she sat down on the truck's hood with her legs pressed to her chest.

She was so afraid that Nathan would be dead by the time the paramedics arrived twenty minutes later, but they were able to bring him out on a stretcher just as the police arrived. Chloe's hands were covered in blood as she told them what happened and then they questioned Max.

Chloe's hands were covered in blood as the police photographed them and then the paramedics cleaned them off for her. Once she was clean she took hold of Max's right hand and they stayed together until the police placed them into separate cruisers. Max was afraid that they were going to be blamed for what happened but after an hour into another round of questions the state police arrived along with three members of the FBI and Ms. Cervantes who seemed less than pleased that the police had started to question Max without calling her first.

The FBI agents question them quickly but once they got the fingerprints back from the gun they released Max and Chloe who for once didn't know where to go or what to do. They ended up walking down to the beach and just staring at the ocean until Victoria called them.

With that call the world fell back into focus and they went back to the dorms together. They knew that the next few days would be nothing but chaos, but they also knew that in the end everything would turn out alright.


	8. Chapter 8

Max wasn't sure what to expect as she stepped up to her parents' door but was glad to have Chloe at her side. She knocked softly and squeezed Chloe's hand for strength as her mother answered, "Hi, mom, I am sorry that..."

Vanessa pulled Max into a hug and then hugged Chloe before saying, "Me and Ryan were following what happened in the papers. It sounds absolutely awful."

"I..."

"Max doesn't like talking about it." Chloe wrapped her arm around Max, "But Max does have a big piece of news for you."

"What is it?"

"I want to tell you and dad." Max smiled, "Is he at work?

"He won't be home until midnight."

"Oh." Max stepped into the apartment and pulled a letter out of her bag. She handed it to her mom and said, "I kind of wanted to wait to tell both of you at the same time.

"Oh no. You and Chloe didn't elope did you…?” Vanessa shook her head, "I know that you are going through a lot right now and that you both love each other very much but you shouldn't rush into..."

"Mom." Max raised her voice and to get Vanessa's attention, "We didn't get married."

"Although we do talk about it." Chloe cut in, "Sometimes it is just for fun, sometimes it is serious, but we both want to wait until we are more...stable? We just want to be able to rent a proper house and have money on hand when we need it."

"The real news is that I got my pictures selected by the Rising Sun Gallery." Max pulled the wrinkled letter out of her bag, "It is a really big event..."

Vanessa took the letter and looked at Chloe as she said, "So you and Max are planning on getting married one day? I can just picture walking you and Max down the aisle. Would you mind wearing a dress?"

"Actually I have a picture of what I would like to wear if I can find something like it." Chloe pulled her phone out and loaded the picture for Vanessa, "I am not sure what you call this, but I like how the red and gold of the cape makes the gold buttons pop against the white fabric."

"Oh that is lovely." Vanessa smiled, "It would make you look like a warrior queen."

"See that is what..."

"The letter." Max spoke up again, "I really want you to read the letter."

"Sorry." Vanessa unfolded the letter. "Oh my they really love you work don't they. Is this the same gallery you went to last March?"

"Tried to but couldn't afford it." Max picked up her bag, "I am going to let you and Chloe plot while I go through the albums I left in my room. The gallery wants me to put together a portfolio they so that they can make booklets of my work to handout to the guests."

"I will yell for you when the pizza gets here." Vanessa smiled, "I ordered a large burrito pizza from Del Sols. They are one of your favorites right?"

"They are the one and only Mexi-Italian restaurant in Seattle."

Vanessa gave Max back the letter. "And I am sorry for sidelining your big news. I will let you tell your dad. He is going to need this to lift his spirits when he gets home."

Max hugged her mom and said, "If I was feeling better I would have joined you and Chloe, but I am tired from the drive up."

"Well don't push yourself so hard."

"I will try not to."

\------

Max woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare that had been plaguing her every night since the barn and let out a deep breath as the images of fire and death faded once more. She looked at her new phone half expecting to see a text from Rachel, but there wasn’t anything. There hadn’t been any word from Rachel for almost two weeks so either she was still recovering or she had finally found peace.

“Max…” Chloe stirred and yawned, “Why are you awake?”

“Stress and nerves.” Max laid back down and snuggled close to Chloe, “Even though that event is still months away I am still worried.”

“Max you are golden.” Chloe kissed Max on her nose, “After this even there will be another and soon galleries will be fighting to get your pieces. I might even have to start beating people away with a tripod.”

Max sighed and said, “Do you ever think about the barn?

“Shit of course I do.” Chloe pulled Max close, “Sometimes when I am alone I have this dream where it is you I am trying to save instead of Nathan and another where I am lying next to a shallow grave with a crow pecking at my eye.”

“I only have one dream.” Max tried not to cry, “I am tied to a throne of wood and I am burning. As the fire grows I see you, Kate, and Victoria in the shadows with screaming as you fade into the darkness.”

“Is that the real reason you were awake?”

“Yes.” Max felt her body relax, “I am sorry I lied.”

“I have been lying as well. I never told you that I cut Joyce off.” Chloe pulled away and rolled onto her back. “She came by the motel four days after the barn to tell me that she was leaving David, because he hit her.”

“So him hitting her crossed the line but not him hitting you?” Max groaned, “You might hate me for saying this but your mom is awful.”

“It’s why I have been calling her Joyce.” Chloe laughed softly, “I thought that you would notice but you didn’t.”

Max rolled onto her back, “You got my mom. She adores you.”

“Your parents are fucking awesome.” Chloe laughed, “They can’t wait until you are either Max Price or I am Chloe Caulfield.”

“I like Max Price.” Max laughed, “Max Price, Agent of Arcadia and Paranormal Adventurer.”

“And her stunningly beautiful wife, Chloe Price. Queen of the Realm of Rust and Ruin.”

“I feel better now.”

“Good now come snuggle with me.” Chloe pulled Max closer and started to tickle her as she kissed Max’s neck, “I love you Mrs. Price.”

Max stopped laughing and rested her head on Chloe’s chest, “And I love you Mrs. Price.”

Chloe flipped them over so that she was on top of Max and softly bit her on the neck before saying, “I think I know something that will make you feel better than just talking.”

“My parents…”

Chloe slipped her hand inside of Max’s pajama top and said, “We can be very quiet.”

Max gasped and felt the last of her self-control break down, “Very quiet.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is going to the final chapter of this fic, but I have had a really good time with this and have lots of plans to continue this in the future as I continue to expand this world.

The next few weeks passed quickly for Max without school to worry about and she almost forgot about the barn until the week before Halloween. Even with everything that had happened Arcadia Bay went forward with its Harvest Fair. They set up booths all along main street offering all sorts of cheap prizes and over priced jewelry. Even Trotsky got involved by setting up a pirate themed booth to give out candy by the scoop full to the kids brave enough come near him and Chloe.

Max felt kind of silly dressed up as pirate but she was also enjoying her job at the booth and that was taking pictures of kids on top of an antique cannon that Trotsky had in a storage shed in the back of the scrapyard.

As it got dark they set up lights and Max put away the camera. The lighting was making the pictures come out awful and she was starting to feel terrible about charging the parents four dollars for them. She walked over to Chloe who was sing a sea shanty to a group of kids, and waited for her to finish before saying, "This was good."

"These kids think I am a real pirate." Chloe laughed, "If it wasn't illegal I would take them all home with me."

"You are better with kids than I am."

"Max you were also amazing tonight." Chloe pulled Max down onto her lap, "So how much did you make tonight with your photos?"

"I will find out when I count later." Max smiled, "I still prefer analog, but Victoria's equipment certainly helped me get through this."

"Well I think it is time we call it quits." Trotsky stood, "I can take all of this down on my own so why don't you go see if they still have some games open. Have some fun before work tomorrow."

"Arrrrr...you up for some pillaging, Max?" Chloe laughed, "There maybe some great booty waiting for us out there."

Max stifled a laugh and nodded, "I saw a booth as we came in that had mixed up stuffed animals. I want to see if they still have the opossum beaver bear."

"Max that sounds unnatural." Chloe smiled, "We have to get that thing."

They ran hand in hand down main street to the booth only to find the guy running it was closing. Chloe shouted at him and after a bit of haggling got him to sell the opossum beaver bear, and a rainbow pigicorn for twenty-five bucks. She handed Max her freaky animal and they wandered down to the beach where fishermen had set up bonfires on floating platforms.

"I can't believe you wanted something so cute." Max hugged her animal to her chest, "But I guess Francine will need a friend."

"Max I have been looking at houses." Chloe smiled, "And I found one in Hamilton. I know you want to stay here in Arcadia Bay, but I think we should move."

"You have been looking at houses?" Max smiled, "Do you got a picture of the one you found?"

"It is a two bedroom with a small backyard, and it was taken by a bank during the crash a few years ago." Chloe pulled up a picture of a very rough looking place on her phone, "It will cost us fifteen thousand. Trotsky said he can help us get a loan, but I don't want to move on this unless you want to."

Max looked at the picture and imagined what it would look like if they fixed it up. They could paint it whatever color they wanted and she could dig up the front yard to make a wildflower garden, and she started to smile, "There is something else that might help us. Ms. Cervantes has filed a lawsuit against the Prescotts. She told me not to ask questions but I might be looking at a large settlement."

"That woman is terrifying." Chloe shook her head, "So you want to do this?"

"We get the loan to buy the house and use whatever Cervantes gets me in the lawsuit to pay it off." Max smiled, "I can't see how this won't work and it would be nice to get out of that motel."

Chloe smiled and said, "I will give the bank a call in the morning."

Max was about to say something when her phone buzzed and she saw a picture of lighthouse, "Rachel is back."

The light faded from Chloe's face and she said, "She hasn't crossed over?"

"I think she wants us to come to the lighthouse."

"Then let's go."

Max let Chloe drag her up to the lighthouse and as they got closer Max got a text that read, <I am sorry.>

Chloe walked over to the bench and said, "Sorry for what?"

<The barn. I went to far.>

Max stepped up beside Chloe and said, "So that is why you haven't made contact? You saved us."

<I saw the pain in your eyes, Max. I saw you and Chloe crying. I saw Victoria hiding in her room tearing up the pictures of her and Nathan. I saw Kate praying for your safety.>

"Rachel." Chloe took a deep breath, "You saved me three times in my life. You saved me from falling off a cliff, you saved me by letting me go when I was spiraling out of control, and you saved me at the barn. You should be proud of what you did."

"Listen to Chloe." Max smiled, "I know that you love her, and I know that she loves you. That kind of love never fades..." Max paused when Chloe took hold of her hand, "You need to let go of this world now. You don't have to worry about us anymore and you don't have to feel guilty for anything."

Rachel appeared in front of them and she looked at Max and then looked at Chloe before pulling them into a hug, "I guess the rumors about this time of the year are correct."

Chloe started to cry and said, "Tell my dad I miss him."

"He knows." Rachel started to glow with a golden light, "He is here right now. He wants me to tell you that he is proud of you. He is happy that you and Max have found each other again. He is proud that you found a father in Trotsky. He is also proud of Max for standing her ground with David. He says that he always knew that she had a hidden strength in her."

Max pulled Chloe close as Rachel faded and said, "I don't know what to say."

"I don't think words can do what we just saw justice." Chloe sat her pigicorn on the bench and motioned for Max to join her. "All we can do is just keep doing what we have been doing."

"You are right about this town." Max sighed, "I am holding onto the good memories we have here but we are better off leaving this town behind."

"My dad says that Trotsky is my father." Chloe laughed, "Should I call him dad and see what happens?"

"You will make him cry if you do that." Max shook her head, "And then he might break your spine hugging you."

"It is weird to know she is gone." Chloe looked up at the stars, "This is why this was Rachel's favorite spot. She would come up here whenever the pressure was getting to her and tell me all about the stars, meteors, and forgotten female scientists."

"Did you tell her about that you were the reigning queen of science fairs from the fourth grade to the eighth grade?" Max shook her head, "My favorite was your electromagnet. You weren't allowed to turn it on after your display for Mr. McCary blew out the lights in his room and fried his computer."

"I lost that when my mom cleared out the garage to make way for the step-douche's stuff." Chloe hugged her pigicorn, "I was barely able to save any of my stuff or my dad's stuff after he died. She just wanted him gone."

Max leaned on Chloe and said, "He isn't gone and he is proud of us."

Chloe dried her eyes and nodded, "And I am going to keep making him proud."

Max stood and said, "Come on its getting late and we have a lot to do tomorrow."

"Aye, Aye." Chloe stood, "And will there be any pirate booty for your captain tonight?"

"Just snuggles tonight."

"Arrr...That be fantastic." Chloe wrapped her arm around Max, "I love it when we snuggle."

Max wrapped her arm around Chloe and said, "And I love feeling you hold me. It feels safe."


End file.
